Conduit connection



March 15, 1938. p Q HECHT 2,111,243

CONDUIT CONNECTION Filed Feb. 17, 1957 Patented Mar.' 15, 1938 y PATENT ori-ICEI 2,111,243 coNnm'r ycornmictrIoN Paul 0.` Hecht, Davenport, Iowa, assignor to Kwikon Company, Chicago, Ill., la corporation of Illinois Application February 11, 1937, vserial No; 126,123

2 Claims.

The invention relates to connecters and more particularly to connecters adapted for useI with so-called thin walled electrical conduit or tubing.

'I'he use of light gauge seamless steel tubing 5 as an electrical conduitknown as thin walled conduit, has numerous advantages from the standpoint of cost, weight, and ease of manipulation. Such tubing may be readily bent to conform to the contour of even intricate building structures in which it is to be located without the necessity of providing elbow joints' and the like such as must be used with rigid conduit. Its use has been handicapped, however, by the lack of suitable connecters for securing the ends of l5 the conduit to outlet boxes, joining together sections of the conduit, and for other like purposes.

A number of different factors have contributed -to complicate the problem of devisingv a suitable connecter. In the first place, the device must be extremely simple and cheap to manufacture if the ov -all cost of the conduit system is to be low enou to competel with older and highly de'- veloped forms of conduits and ttings. Also, the device should be of such character that an ordinary electrician can install it with the few simple tools, such as a screw driver and pliers, which usually make up his kit, and it mustbe possible to make the installation in cramped corners and crevises of buildings that are accessible only under $0 the greatest 'of diiiic'ulty.- Finally, the very qual-'- ities which make thin walled .conduit desirable also -niake it verydiiiiculg.` to lapply a connecter. Its thin light gauge metal walls preclude the use of heavy compressive forces and yet the under- 85 writers require that a connecter for such conduit, when having a diameter of three-fourths oan inch for example, withstand a straight pull of 9llilroximately "100 pounds. The problem off strength. of the joint is also made more diiiicult 40 by the racc that nice nts of the parts cannot be had since economical manufacture of the conduit necessitates wide tolerances in its diameter.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economical connecter for use with thin walled metal conduit which may be manipulated by ordinary toolsv in a limited space and which is adapted to withstand an extremely heavy pull tending to dislodge the same from the conduit. A 1

A more specivc object of the invention is to provide such a 'connecter which is adapted to compress a portion of the conduit wall into a hardened mass forming a bearing shoulder'cooperating with a projection on the connecter to (ci. 285-161) l prevent [dislodgment of the' conduit by an endwise pull. n Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features 'of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying draw` ing in which j Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connecter embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connecter in Fig. 1 as applied to an outlet box.

Fig. 3is an enlargeddetail View of oneof the set screws .included inthe connecter shownv in Fig. 1. v

' Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a part of the connecter shown in Fig. 1 and a portion of the conduit inserted therein illustrating particularly the'. contour of the inserted portion of conduit after the connecter has been secured thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the invention has been shown for purposes of il lustration of its various novel features as embodied in a connecter adapted to secure the end of a portion of thin walled metal conduit to an outlet box or the like but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that connecters'embodying the invention may be adapted for a wide variety of other uses; In general, the connecter herein contemplated is provided with a body portion adapted to iit about the conduit and an improved arrangement for securing this body portionin position which serves to compress a Ato form a bearing shoulder cooperating with a projection on the connecter to prevent dislodgment of the conduit by an endwise pull. y

The particular connecter illustrated is provided with a generally tubular or cylindrical body portion Ill having a longitudinally extending opening Il therein adapted to be telescoped over the end of a section of thin walled metal electrical conduit or tubing I2 (Fig. 2). An annular shoulder I3 formed within the opening Il cooperates with the marginal edge of the conduit I2 to limit its endwise movement into the connecter. vThe securing arrangement hereinafter described is of such character thatthe opening ll may be made of suiciently large diameter as to accommo'date tubing having a comparatively wide variation from a standard diameter. 'I'he manufac- .portion of the conduit wall in a hardened mass v box II and the connecter clamped in position.

by a lock nut- I1 cooperating with the shoulder II to engage the marginal edges of the box wall.

A plurality of spaced projections illustrated in the form of blunt ends or points i8 on set screws I9 are arranged to engage the inserted end portion of the conduit I2. The set screws Il are ar ranged in alinement longitudinally of the con- .necter body in closely spaced relation and are threaded in suitable tappedholes' formed in a strengthening ridge or rib 2l on the tubular connecter body portion Il. As best shown in Fig. 3, the ends I8 of the set screws i! are tapered at an angle A which is preferably of the order of about 60 degrees and terminate in iiat end surfaces 2| which are of substantially smaller cross sectional area than that of the shanir of the screw. For the particular connecter illustrated the surfaces 2| are preferably about th of an inch in diameter. These blunt ends of the set screws il arehardened in order that they may readily indent the relatively soft 'steel tubing or conduit.

Upon reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the ends I I of the set screws Il engage the conduit I2, formingindentations' 22 therein. The angularly disposed lrelation of the ends of the set screws serves to exert a wedsing action on the portion ofthe conduit wall located therebetween, thus compressing the'same into-a hardened mass as indicated by the heavier crosshatching in Fig. 4 at 23. It has been found that this portion of the requirements of simplicity and ease of manipulation as well as the requirements as to strength of the Joint which it forms.

It has been found that the shape of the conduit engaging projections is quite critical especially when set screws are used. Thus, itpointed set screws are substituted for those illustrated, they will pierce the conduit wall and when a strong pull is exerted thereon a slit will be torn in the end portion of the conduit permitting it to be'freed from the connecter. On the other hand, if ordinar'yflat ends are used on the set screws, the gripping action had on the inserted c nd of the conduit is insumcient to maintain it in position under a heavypull.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in some detail for purposes of illustration. there is no intention tothereby limit the invention to this particular embodiment but', on the other hand, the

the conduit is hardened almostto` the point`of crystallimtion. ,The hardened mass or lump of metal thus had forms a bearing shoulder cooperating with the lower end II of the outermost set screw `I! to prevent dislodsment lof the conduit I2 by an endwise pull. A very effective a'nd simple form of connecter is thus had which meets appended claims are intended to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tting for thin walled tubular metal conduit provided with a sleeve member arranged to receive an inserted end of the thin walled conduit', and means for securing saidsleeve to the inserted conduit. said means' including a plurality of adjacent setscrews threaded in said sleeve in longitudinal alinement thereon. and adapted to deformthe wall of thev tubular conduit inwardly at spaced points a sumcient distance to form a ridge of hardened metal between the screws for increasing resistance to separation ofthe conduit from the sleeve member.

2. A iltting for thi'n walled tubular metal conduit provided with a sleeve member arranged to receive an inserted end of the thin walled. conduit, and means for-securing said sleeve to thel inserted conduit, said' means including a` plurality of adjacent set screws threaded in saidtsleeve in longitudinal alinement thereon and provided with elongated tapered blunt points adapted to deform the wall of :he tubular conduit inwardly at spaced points a suillcient distance to wedge a ridge of hardened metal between the screw points for increasing resistance to separation of the conduit from the sleeve member.

PAUL O. HECHT. 

